Stabilized putter head

ABSTRACT

A putter head is constructed with a lightweight front blade member and a heavier rear weighted member having discrete concentrations of mass at its heel, toe and rear central portions. The rear weighted member is somewhat arch-shaped so as to define a hollow cavity or chamber when coupled to the front blade member. The putter head is stabilized during putting by the mass concentrations and the hollow cavity produces a large sweet spot along the front blade member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to golf putters and inparticular to a hollow multi-component putter head having massconcentrations in its heel, toe and lower rear extremities.

2. Description of Prior Developments

Golf putters are currently available in numerous shapes, sizes andweights. Although conventional putters perform adequately, there is anongoing need to provide a putter which is resistant to movement awayfrom its desired stroke path. That is, it is desirable to increase themoment of inertia of the putter head so that the distributed mass of theputter head acts to stabilize the movement of the putter head over itsintended stroke path.

One way to increase the moment of inertia of a putter head is toconcentrate the mass of the putter head around its periphery. While thisapproach is feasible in theory, it is difficult to achieve maximumdesired moments of inertia in a putter head using conventionalmanufacturing techniques. Moreover, the resulting putter head designmust also meet the limitations set by the PGA rules.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed to meet the needs noted aboveby providing a putter head with a hollow central portion bordered bymass concentrations located adjacent the heel, toe and rear portions ofthe putter head. In order to facilitate the manufacture and fabricationof the putter head, a multi-part construction has been developed inaccordance with the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, a relatively lightweight front blademember is formed with a pocket or channel for receiving a rear weightedmember. The front and rear components may be joined with a tongue andgroove or plug and socket type connection, and fixed in position with asimple adhesive bond or weld. A large central hollow portion is definedbetween the front blade member and rear weighted member so as toconcentrate the mass of the putter head around its heel, toe and centralrearward peripheral portions.

This selected concentration of mass in these three portions of theputter head maximize the moments of inertia of the putter head withrespect to its intended stroke path in horizontal directions bothparallel and perpendicular to the stroke path as well as in a verticalplane through the stroke path. This mass distribution and resultantmoments of inertia tend to stabilize the putter head along these threedirections or axes as it travels along its stroke path.

The selected mass concentrations along with a double tapered bottomsurface enable the moving putter head to resist minor external forcessuch as caused by contact with grass, leaves, twigs and the like, aswell as unintended movements from a golfer's stroke or grip. Moreover,the mass distribution of the putter head resists twisting of the putterclub shaft. This is most desirable insofar as twisting can causeunwanted deviations from the intended path of the golf ball.

By forming the putter head with a large hollow interior, the putter headmay have a large upper surface area facing a golfer during putting, aswell as a large bottom surface area facing the surface of the puttinggreen during putting. The large upper surface area assists a golfer'sview of the putter head and thereby assists in the proper alignment oraim of the putter head with respect to the golf ball. The large centrallower surface area provides accurate orientation, alignment and smoothsliding guidance of the putter head over the surface of the puttinggreen.

A further refinement of the invention includes the placement of a largeheavy mass of material not only at an extreme rearward position of theputter head, but also at a relatively low position closest to thesurface of a putting green. This provides increased stability to theputter head during a putting stroke by increasing the moment of inertiaof the putter head with respect to the stroke path of the putter headduring putting.

Moreover, by centering a large weighted mass on the putter head at alower or bottom portion of the putter head, the resulting putter clubincorporating the putter head provides a comfortable, secure and stablefeel to a golfer during putting. The large rearward mass of the putterhead located behind the golf ball establishes a stable feel duringputting as the rearward weight acts like a pendulum to maintain theputter in a desired vertical plane.

In order to reduce the possibility of snagging the putter head on aputting surface due to unintended heel-to-toe tipping of the putterhead, the bottom surface of the putter head tapers upwardly andoutwardly from a flat central bottom portion towards the respective heeland toe portions of the putter head. These tapered portions provide somedegree of clearance or tolerance between the bottom of the putter headand the putting surface and thereby prevent unintended scraping orsnagging of the putter head due to heel-to-toe tipping during a puttingstroke.

As the putter head may be fabricated from separate components, differentmaterials may be used for the front face or blade component and for therear weighted component. The front face or blade may be fabricated, forexample, from a lightweight material such as alloys of aluminum,titanium and magnesium. Even carbon composite fiber material may beused. The rear weighted body may be fabricated, for example, from adenser or heavier material having a specific gravity greater than thatof the front blade, such as stainless steel or tungsten carbide.

The design of the putter head is readily mass produced usingconventional machining and fabrication techniques to achieve a reductionin central mass through a hollow multi-part construction. Thisconstruction provides selective weighting around the perimeter of theputter head, increased moments of inertia along desired axes, a smallblade component, heel-to-toe weighting and a large sighting area. Byfabricating the front blade component as a thin-walled lightweightcomponent and the rear weighted component as a much heavier and massivecomponent, rearward weighting of the putter head can be maximized inorder to greatly increase the stability of the putter head duringputting.

By distributing the mass of a heavy rear-weighted member in arearwardly-extending horizontal arch, and by defining a large internalcavity between the arch and a lightweight front blade member, theresulting putter head is provided with an exceptionally large sweetspot. That is, a large area of the front blade on opposite sides of itsgeometric center can be used to strike a golf ball and still drive theball over its intended path. Stated another way, off center contactbetween the golf ball and the putter head will still result in anaccurate put.

It has been found that the extent of this sweet spot is coextensive withthe length of the internal cavity along the back surface of the frontblade member. In some designs, this can extend over more than half thelength of the putter blade or putter face.

The aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill, in part, be pointed out with particularity, and will, in part,become apparent from the following more detailed description of theinvention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichform an integral part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top right front perspective view of a putter head;constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the front blade member ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe front blade member of FIG. 1, showing the removal of the mountingposts;

FIG. 4 is an exploded top right rear perspective view of a putter headconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom front perspective view of the rear weighted member ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top rear perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternate embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 9 is a bottom front perspective view of the rear weighted member ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top front perspective view of the rear weighted member ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a view in section taken through section line 11-11 FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a golf putter club constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 14 is a top right front perspective view of the rear weightedmember of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom rear perspective view of the front blade member ofFIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a top rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 17 is a top front exploded perspective view of the front blademember and rear weighted member of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an alternate embodiment of the rear weighted member of FIGS.16 and 17;

FIG. 19 is a top right front perspective view of an alternate embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 20 is a top right rear perspective view of the front blade memberof FIG. 19; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 19.

In the various views of the drawings, like reference numerals designatelike or similar parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described in conjunction with thedrawings, beginning with FIGS. 1 and 2 which show a golf putter head 10constructed in accordance with the invention. The putter head 10includes a relatively lightweight thin-walled front blade member 12 anda heavier and more massive rear weighted member 14. The front blademember 12 has a planar front face 16 formed on a thin vertical frontwall 17 which may be aligned vertically when the putter head 10 isplaced on a flat horizontal putting surface, or taper or slant upwardlyand rearwardly at a small angle, such as 1.5 degrees when placed on aflat horizontal putting surface.

Blade member 12 further includes an upper roof or top wall portion 18and a lower floor or bottom wall portion 20 (FIG. 2), each extendingrearwardly from the front wall 17. Top portion 18 includes a centralportion 22, a distal or toe portion 24 and a proximal or heel portion26. A mounting post 28 is provided on the heel portion 26 for mountingthe putter head 10 to the shaft of a golf putter club.

An alignment or sight guide 30 is centered on the upper face 31 of thecentral portion 22 of top portion 18. Although the sight guide 30 maytake virtually any desired form, in this embodiment, sight guide 30takes the form of a generally planar U-shaped thin plastic insert or tabmounted in a shallow recessed pocket 32 formed in the center of theupper face 31 of the central portion 22. An alignment spot or sight 34is provided in the central front portion of the sight guide 30 adjacentto the front face 16.

In one embodiment, the width of the sight guide 30 at the front face 16is approximately equal to the width or diameter of a regulation golfball. This provides for proper alignment and centering of the putterhead 10 with a golf ball. The width and location of the sight guide 30helps to ensure that the ball is struck midway between the head and toeportion of the putter head, substantially in the center of the frontface 16, and directly below and symmetrically with respect to thealignment spot 34.

As further seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toe portion 24 is bounded alongits front edge by front face 16. The inverted L-shaped free end face 36(FIG. 2) of toe portion 24 has an upper leg which extends rearwardly andsubstantially perpendicularly from the front face 16 to meet the reartoe face 38 of toe portion 24. Rear toe face 38 extends or tapersrearwardly from free end 36 toward the central portion 22. A radiusportion 40 extends rearwardly from the rear toe face 38 to the upperrear central face 42 of the central portion 22.

Rear central face 42 extends substantially parallel to the front face 16and defines a rearwardly extending guide or flange. A radius portion 44extends forwardly from rear central face 42 to the rear heel face 46 ofheel portion 26. Rear heel face 46 extends or tapers forwardly, awayfrom the central portion 22 to the inverted L-shaped inner heel end face48 of heel portion 26. Inner heel end face 48 is aligned substantiallyparallel to opposite free end face 36 and substantially perpendicularlyto the front face 16.

It can now be appreciated that the upper portion 18 includes and isdefined by a pair of opposed, generally trapezoidal shaped wings locatedsymmetrically on opposite sides of a generally rectangular body. Thatis, the heel and toe portions 26, 24 are generally trapezoidal in shapeand the central portion 22 is substantially rectangular or square inshape.

As seen in FIG. 2, the front wall 17 of front blade member 12 has agenerally planar rear face 50 which extends substantially parallel tothe front face 16. A rectangular central recess 52 is formed in thecenter portion of the rear face 50 to reduce the mass of the putter headadjacent the central portion of the front blade member 12. Recess 52 iscentered between the outer toe end face 36 and inner heel end face 48.

An inner or heel mounting and positioning post 54 is provided on therear face 50 on the heel portion 26. An outer or toe mounting andpositioning post 56 is provided on the rear face 50 on the toe portion24. Posts 54 and 56 may be formed as cylindrical tubular membersextending substantially perpendicularly rearwardly from rear face 50.Each post 54, 56 may be formed with threaded bores 58, 60. The posts 54and 56 are disposed symmetrically on rear face 50, each at equalrespective spacings from end faces 48 and 36 and from the central recess52.

As further seen in FIG. 2, the lower or bottom portion 20 of blademember 12 includes a generally rectangular central portion 62, agenerally trapezoidal distal or toe portion 64 and a generally proximalor heel portion 66. A stepped bore 68 is formed through the centralportion 62 for receiving an optional filler material and a fastener orplug 65. A filler or adhesive such as a flowable plastic, epoxy, rubberor silicone may be introduced through bore 68 to bond and add strengthto the assembled putter head 10. The rectangular central portion 62 onthe bottom portion 20 is substantially equal in top and bottom planprofile to the central portion 22 of the top portion 18 and includes arear central face 63 (FIG. 7) aligned in the same vertical plane as rearcentral face 42 on the upper central portion 22.

As further seen in FIG. 2, the bottom portion 20 of blade member 12 iscentered beneath the top portion 18, but is not as long from heel to toeas the top portion 18. That is, while the central portion 62 of thebottom portion 20 is the same size as the central portion 22 of the topportion 20, (except for its vertical thickness or height, which is lessthan that of the central portion 22 as seen in FIG. 6) the distal or toeportion 64 and the proximal or heel portion 66 of the bottom portion 20are shorter in length from heel to toe than the corresponding heel andtoe portions 26, 24 in the top portion 18.

While the top surface 70 (FIG. 1) of the upper or top portion 18 issubstantially planar over its entire extent, the bottom surface of thebottom portion 20 is defined by three separate planar surfaces orregions, 72, 74 and 76. Planar central region 72 is substantiallyrectangular or square in plan shape and is coextensive with the centralportion 62 of the bottom portion 20. Region 72 is substantially parallelwith top surface 70 and is adapted to be placed flat against a flatputting surface.

Planar heel region 74 is substantially trapezoidal in plan shape and hasthe same profile in plan as that portion of the top heel portion 26which extends over it. Planar heel region 74 of heel portion 66 slantsor tapers upwardly from the central portion 62 toward heel end face 48,and terminates in a chisel-shaped edge 80.

Planar toe region 76 is also substantially trapezoidal in shape and hasthe same profile in plan view as that portion of the top toe portion 24which extends over it. Planar toe region 76 of toe portion 64 slants ortapers upwardly from the central portion 62 toward the free end toe face36, and terminates in a chisel-shaped edge 82.

A longitudinal or horizontally-extending open groove or channel 84 isdefined between the inner or lower planar horizontal surface 86 (FIG. 2)of the top portion 18 and the inner or upper planar horizontal surface88 (FIG. 3) of the bottom portion 20. Channel 84 has a substantiallyrectangular or U-shaped cross section defined by rear face 50 andsurfaces 86 and 88 which extend perpendicularly rearwardly from rearface 50. As seen in FIGS. 1, 4, 6 and 7, the rear weighted member 14 isdimensioned to nest closely and securely within the walls or faces 50,86 and 88 of channel 84.

The exploded view of FIG. 4 shows rear weighted member 14 formed as anarch or bow-shaped component. Rear weighted member 14 includes aproximal or heel portion 90, a distal or toe portion 92 and a central orbridge portion 94 joining the heel and toe portions 90, 92.

The rear weighted member 14 includes a planar top wall 96 and asegmented bottom wall 98 (FIG. 5) which has a central portion parallelwith the top wall 96. A vertical rear wall 100 extends perpendicularlybetween the top and bottom walls 96, 98. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, rearwall 100 is dimensioned to be flush or coplanar with the central rearwalls 42, 63 of the front blade member 12.

As further seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, heel portion 90 of the rear weightedmember 14 is formed as a weighted mass concentration adjacent, along andbelow the heel portion 26 of the top portion 18 of blade member 12. Toeportion 92 is similarly formed as a weighted mass concentration alongand below or underneath the toe portion 24 of the top portion 18 ofblade member 12. The central or bridge portion 94 is also formed as aweighted mass concentration midway between the heel and toe portions 90,92.

The center of gravity or center of mass of heel portion 90 is locatedcloser to the front face 16 of blade member 12 than the center ofgravity or center of mass of the central or bridge portion 94, since thebridge portion 94 is, by design, spaced apart from and locatedrearwardly of heel portion 90. Moreover, the center of gravity or centerof mass of heel portion 90 is located lower than or closer to a puttingsurface than the center of gravity of the central or bridge portion 94.This is achieved by forming a relatively large recess or step 102 (FIG.4) in the upper rear surface of heel portion 90.

Recess 102 extends from inner heel face 104 toward the toe portion 92 upto the inner vertical face 106 of the central or bridge portion 94. Therecess or step 102 defines a rearwardly-extending horizontal ledge orstep surface 108, further bounded by a rear vertical face 110 on theupper rear surface of the heel portion 90.

As seen in FIG. 4, recess 112 is similarly formed in the upper surfaceof the toe portion 92. Recess 112 is a mirror image of recess 102 and issymmetrically located on the opposite or toe end of the central orbridge portion 94. The center of gravity or center of mass of the toeportion 92 is located closer to the front face 16 of blade member 12than the center of gravity or center of mass of the central or bridgeportion 92. Again, this is because the bridge portion 92 is, by design,located rearwardly of toe portion 92.

The center of gravity or center of mass of the toe portion 92 is locatedlower or closer to a putting surface than the center of gravity orcenter of mass of the central or bridge portion 94 due to the presenceof recess 112. Recess 112 extends from the outer end face 114 of toeportion 92 inwardly toward the heel portion 90, up to the outer verticalend face 116 of the central or bridge portion 94. Ahorizontally-extending ledge or step surface 118 and a verticallyextending rear face 120 on the upper rear surface of the toe portion 92are further defined by recess 112.

As seen in FIG. 5, the rear weighted member 14 has a flat verticalmounting face 122 formed on the front surface of heel portion 90 andflat vertical mounting face 124 formed on the front surface of toeportion 92. Bores 126 are formed in each mounting face 122, 124 forrespectively receiving the posts 54, 56 on the rear face 50 of the frontblade member 12.

The insertion of posts 54, 56 into bores 126 accurately aligns andpositions the rear weighted member 14 on and within the front blademember 12. An adhesive may be used to bond or anchor the members 12 and14 together as an integral assembly. Alternatively, or in addition toadhesives, other fastening techniques can be used, such as threadedfasteners or welding. In the absence of the posts 54, 56 and bores 126,a jig or fixture can be used to hold the front and rear components 12,14 together as they are adhesively bonded or welded together.

As can be further seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear weighted member 14defines a central, generally D-shaped recess 128 extending centrallybetween the heel and toe portions 90, 92. Recess 128 is bounded by anarch-shaped vertical wall formed by curved leg portions 132, 134 and aninterconnecting planar end wall 136. The leg portions 132, 134 and endwall 136 extend vertically between the continuous planar horizontalupper or top wall 96 and the segmented planar horizontal lower or bottomwall 98.

As seen in FIG. 5, bottom wall 98 includes a central horizontal planarsurface portion 142 that extends across the full extent of the centralor bridge portion 94 and partially across the heel and toe portions 90,92 at surfaces 144, 146. An upwardly tapered planar wall segment 148 ofbottom wall 98 begins to rise upwardly toward the outer end face 114 oftoe portion 92 from surface 146. Similarly, an upwardly tapered planarwall segment 150 of bottom wall 98 begins to rise upwardly from surface144 toward inner heel face 104.

The central horizontal surface 142 of bottom wall 98 is coextensive withthe horizontal surface 88 (FIG. 3) of the bottom portion 20 of the frontblade member 12. The inner boundary line 152 (FIG. 5) of wall segment148 is aligned over the edge 82 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of toe portion 64 of thebottom portion 20 of the front blade member 12 and the inner boundaryline 154 of wall segment 150 is aligned over the edge 80 of heel portion66 of bottom portion 20 of the front blade member 12.

The incline or taper of portions 64 and 66 are the same as those of wallsegments 148 and 150 so that a continuous upwardly sloping smooth planarsurface extends from portions 64 and 66 on bottom portion 20 across andover boundary lines 152, 154 of the rear weighted member 14. As notedabove, these continuous tapered surfaces reduce the possibility ofsnagging the surface of the putting green 56 during putting.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a large hollow internal cavity 160(FIG. 6) is defined between the front and rear members 12, 14 directlybehind the rear wall or face 50 of the front wall 17. It has been foundthat the length of cavity 160, from heel to toe, defines anexceptionally large and forgiving sweet spot on the front face 16 ofblade member 12. In the example shown, the length of the sweet spot isdefined by the clearance or distance between the mounting faces 122, 124on the rear weighted member 14. This is over 50% of the length of thefront face 16, as shown, and can be easily designed to extend up to 90%or more, by reducing the footprint of the mounting faces 122, 124 on thefront blade member 12 so as to increase the distance between themounting faces 122, 124.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and11 wherein the front blade member 12 is provided with a thin rearvertical wall 166. Wall 166 interconnects the top central portion 22 andlower central portion 62 of the front blade member 12 so as to define aclosed channel or sleeve 168. In this design, the posts 54 and 56 areremoved to allow the rear weighted member 14 to be inserted into thechannel 168 with a transverse sliding fit.

As seen in FIG. 11, the central or bridge portion 94 fits snugly againstthe inner surface of wall 166 and the heel and toe portions 90, 92 abutthe rear face 50 of the front blade member 12. In this construction,adhesives and/or welding are used to join the front blade member 12 tothe rear weighted member 14.

A golf putter club 170 fitted with a putter head 10 constructed inaccordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 12. Club 170 includes ashaft 172 having the putter head 10 connected in a known fashion to itslower end 174. A grip or handle 176 is provided on the upper end 178 ofclub 170 in a known fashion. In FIG. 12, the club 170 is shown in atypical orientation with the putter head 10 placed on a flat horizontalsurface.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15wherein the bottom wall 20 (FIG. 2) on the front blade member has beenremoved and replaced with a bottom wall 180 on the rear weighted member14. Bottom wall 180 has a lower or exterior contoured or segmentedsurface which includes a central horizontal planar portion 182 and apair of upwardly and outwardly tapering bottom wall heel 184 and toe 186portions.

It can be seen that the bottom exterior surface profile of the putterhead 10 of FIG. 13 is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 1and 2. However, by replacing the relatively lightweight bottom wall 20of FIG. 2, with a heavier bottom wall 180, the center of gravity of theputter head 10 can be lowered to achieve additional stroke stability.

By adding weight to the lower rearward portion of putter head 10 throughthe addition of bottom wall 180, the transverse, front-to-rear or widthof the putter head as measured along its intended stroke path can bereduced as compared to the embodiment of FIG. 1, yet still performequivalently. This results in a more compact design which more closelyresembles traditional putter heads, yet fully benefits from theadvantages of the invention.

As seen in FIG. 15, the top wall 18 and rear wall 50 of the front blademember 12 form a pocket or groove 182 for receiving and positioning therear weighted member 14 therein. This functions similarly to the pocket,groove or channel 84 shown in FIG. 3.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18wherein the lightweight front blade member 12 is formed with a bulbousprojection in the shape of a semicylindrical hump 190. Hump 190 iscentrally located on the top surface of putter head 10 and has a frontprofile which substantially matches or corresponds to the upper profileof a regulation golf ball 192 when the putter head 10 and ball 192 areplaced on a flat surface or flat “lie”.

That is, the radius of hump 190 is about equal to the radius of aregulation golf ball, and the apex or height of the top of the hump 190above the ground or above the bottom central surface of the front blademember is about equal to the diameter of golf ball 190. Other shapessuch as rectangular, oval or polygonal shapes can be used to define hump190, as long as the height and width of the hump match that of ball 192on a flat lie. This allows the hump to serve as an alignment guide andsight for properly aligning the putter head 10 with golf ball 192.

Hump 190 may be formed as a thin-walled hollow hump, or as a solid hump.Forming hump 190 as a solid member facilitates the attachment of thelower end 174 of club shaft 172 to the putter head 10 with a close fit.In this case a bore hole 194 can be bored or otherwise formed in hump190 to receive club shaft end 174 with a close fit. Adhesives may beused to bond the shaft to the putter head. This simplifies bothmanufacture and assembly of the putter head, insofar as mounting post 28(FIG. 1) can be eliminated.

A transversely extending insert or strip 196 can be attached to the apexon top of hump 190 to serve as an alignment strip or sight 34, similarto spot 34 shown in FIG. 1. Strip 196 can be bonded in a groove formedin hump 190, applied as a gummed label strip, or simply painted orstenciled in position. A pair of transverse grooves 195 may be formed atthe heel and toe extremities of hump 190 to delineate the boundaries ofhump 190 and to clearly visually separate the hump from the rest of theputter head. In this manner, hump 190 further serves as a sight andalignment guide 30 (FIG. 1).

Sighting and alignment of the putter head 10 with a golf ball can befurther enhanced by providing an extended sight guide 197 (FIG. 16) onthe front face 16 on the front blade member 12. Sight guide 197 can takethe form of a highly visible textured surface such as can be formed by aseries of grooves 199 extending over the front face 12, over a lengthapproximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball. In this manner, agolfer can easily align and center the ball with respect to the sightguide 197. The sight guide 197 can be aligned centrally with theinternal cavity 160 so as to align the center of the “sweet spot”extending along the internal cavity 160 with the golf ball.

As seen in FIGS. 16 and 17 the heel portion 26 of the top wall 18 of thefront blade member 12 has been truncated and the roof 198 of the heelportion 90 of the rear weighted member 14 has been enlarged to form aportion of the top surface of the putter head 10 at the heel of theputter head. This allows for an extra concentration of mass at the heelof the putter head, as is desirable for some designs.

As further seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, threaded fasteners 200 are insertedthrough bores 126 through the rear weighted member 14 and threaded inthreaded bores 58, 60 (FIG. 2) in posts 54, 56 on the front blade member12. This not only securely holds the front blade member 12 and rearweighted member 14 securely together, it also allows for replacement orinterchange of various different sized, shaped and weighted rear blademembers, as well as rear weighted members with different massconcentrations. This allows the putter head to be optimized to suit thepreferences of different golfers.

The rear weighted member 14 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is formed with arelatively narrow and lighter central bridge portion 94, as compared to,for example, that shown in FIG. 14. This is because the weight of alarge solid hump 190 can supplement the weight of the bridge portion 94,and thereby provide approximately the same desired mass concentrationsat the heel, toe and central portions of the putter head 10.

If desired, the weight of the central bridge portion 94 of the rearweighted member shown in FIG. 16 can be further reduced as shown in FIG.18 by forming a recess 202 in the planar end wall 136. This allows forthe addition of even more mass to hump 190, if desired.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 19, 20 and 21wherein the rear weighted member 14 has a rearwardly elongated centralbridge portion 94. In this example, bridge portion 94 is formed as ayoke or bridge having a pair of parallel legs 210 interconnected by across bar 212.

Legs 210 are secured within pockets or recesses 214 (FIG. 20) definedbetween the top and bottom wall portions 18, 20 of the front blademember 12, and the end edges of rear vertical wall 166, in addition tohaving heel and toe portions 90, 92 bonded or otherwise secured to thefront blade member 12, as described above. This construction forms anopen loop 216 (FIG. 19) bounded by the end wall 166, legs 210 and crossbar 212.

This design also provides an extreme rearward mass concentration alongand adjacent to cross bar 212 resulting in an extremely stable putterstroke. A very large internal cavity 160 (Fib. 20) is formed between thefront blade member 12 and the rear weighted member 14. As seen in FIG.21, the elongated legs 210, cross bar 212 and heel and toe massconcentrations are arranged in a form resembling a yoke or a Greekletter omega.

There has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the inventionpresently contemplated. However, it is to be understood that variouschanges and modifications may be made thereto without departing from thespirit of the invention.

1. A golf putter head, comprising: a front blade member; and a rearweighted member coupled to said front blade member and defining a hollowchamber between said front blade member and said rear weighted member.2. The putter head of claim 1, wherein said front blade member comprisesa first material having a first specific gravity and said rear weightedmember comprises a second material having a second specific gravitygreater than said first specific gravity.
 3. The putter head of claim 1,wherein said rear weighted member is heavier than said front blademember.
 4. The putter head of claim 1, wherein said rear weighted membercomprises a heel portion and a toe portion, and a first concentratedweighted mass provided on said heel portion and a second concentratedweighted mass provided on said toe portion.
 5. The putter head of claim4, wherein said rear weighted member further comprises a central portionlocated between said heel and toe portions, and a third concentratedweighted mass provided on said central portion.
 6. The putter head ofclaim 5, wherein said central portion is spaced further rearwardly fromsaid front blade portion than said heel and toe portions.
 7. A golfputter head, comprising: a front blade member defining an open groove;and a rear weighted member fixed within said open groove.
 8. The putterhead of claim 7, wherein said front blade member comprises a front wall,a top wall extending rearwardly from said front wall, and a bottom wallextending rearwardly from said front wall.
 9. The putter head of claim7, wherein said rear weighted member has a density greater than thedensity of the front blade member.
 10. The putter head of claim 7,wherein said front blade member and said rear weighted member define aninternal chamber within said putter head.
 11. The putter head of claim10, wherein said internal chamber extends longitudinally over at least50% of said front blade member.
 12. The putter head of claim 7, whereinsaid front blade member comprises a bottom wall having a heel portion, atoe portion and a central portion, and wherein said heel portion tapersupwardly from said central portion and said toe portion tapers upwardlyfrom said central portion.
 13. The putter head of claim 7, wherein saidrear weighted member comprises a bottom wall having a central portion, aheel portion and a toe portion, and wherein said heel and toe portionseach taper upwardly from said central portion.
 14. The putter head ofclaim 7, wherein said rear weighted member is formed as an arch.
 15. Theputter head of claim 14, wherein said arch comprises a heel portion, atoe portion and a central portion joining the heel and toe portions, andwherein each of said heel, toe and central portions comprises aconcentrated weighted mass.
 16. The putter head of claim 7, furthercomprising a sight provided on said front blade member, said sighthaving a width about equal to the diameter of a golf ball.
 17. A golfputter club, comprising: a club shaft having a handle; and a putter headcoupled to the club shaft and comprising a lightweight front blademember and a rear weighted member coupled to said front blade member,said front blade member having a density less than the density of saidrear weighted member.
 18. The club of claim 17, wherein said front blademember weighs less than said rear weighted member.
 19. The club of claim17, wherein said front blade member and said rear weighted member definean internal chamber.
 20. The club of claim 17, wherein said front blademember comprises a front wall and a top wall and wherein said rearweighted member is disposed between said front wall and said top wall.